The Diocese on the Niger (Anglican Communion), Onitsha, Anambra State, has set up a nine-man panel to investigate the cause of the building collapse at the premises of the Dennis Memorial Grammar School in Onitsha, the commercial nerve centre of the state.
The panel was set up by the Anglican Church, DMGS Old Boys Association and the school authorities.
The five-storey building belonging to the Anglican church, was still under construction when it caved in at about 1:15 am on Wednesday, June 12, trapping about three of the construction workers.
Although the three construction workers, who were initially trapped in the debris of the collapsed building, were rescued after several efforts by the rescue operations carried out by Anambra State government officials and members of the Red Cross Society, one of them later died on Thursday, June 13 after his rescue. To date, the cause of the collapse has yet to be ascertained, even though officials of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria and the state physical and planning board have visited the site.
But, in a swift effort to ascertain and investigate the cause of the collapse, the authorities said it had set up the committee headed by Justice Peter Obiorah, while Andy Obianwu would be the secretary.
Other members are Shed Onwuasoanya, Dr Azuka Onweluzo, Ofodile Anieto, Chukwunonto Igboka, Peter Okpala, Samuel Akabogu and Kingsley Ibekwe.
The Bishop on the Niger, Rt. Rev Owen Nwakolo, while addressing journalists at the collapsed building site, on Tuesday, said the committee was given nine Terms of Reference to carry out its operations within one month to unravel the circumstances behind the collapse.
Nwakolo said the panel was to examine the administrative and technical processes followed during the building to ensure that proper proceedings were followed, study the building plans to ensure they met the standards and ensure that approval was sought as well as obtained from the approved authority and whether or not the architectural design was from a qualified architect registered with Architects Registration of Council of Nigeria, among others.
He said, “We expect your report within one month from June 18, 2024, the date of the inauguration of the panel.
“You are therefore constituted as a panel of enquiry to investigate and determine the cause of the collapse of the building.
“You are to enquire whether the structural design was by a qualified architect registered with the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria, whether the structural design was by a structural engineer registered with COREN, whether it was properly supervised during construction, whether materials used went through rigorous testing and cause of the collapse.
In attendance were Bishop Ephraim Ikeakor of Amichi Diocese, Bishop Obiora Uzochukwu of Mbamiri Diocese, Bishop Prosper Amah of Ogbaru Diocese and Bishop Ndubuisi Obi of Nnewi Diocese, and many priests of the Diocese.
